Is vocational education and training (VET) really a technicolour coat that can fulfil many dreams? Does it meet all the training needs of a very diverse group of Australian students, workers and industries? What does it contribute to the economy and society? These were some of the questions asked at the National Centre for Vocational Education Research's (NCVER) "Is VET Worthwhile?" forum. Those speaking came up with an equivocal answer: it depends. The purpose of the forum was to air a suite of research from NCVER's 2008-10 research consortia. Four groups participated in the program: the Centre for Work + Life at the University of South Australia; the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne; the Social Policy Evaluation, Analysis and Research Centre at the Australian National University; and the Workplace Research Centre at the University of Sydney. The four groups of researchers presented summaries of their research and participated in a panel discussion.